Earth Angels: With these eco-smart kids in charge, the future is looking pretty bright

Westchase Lands 2nd Place Spot in National “Go Green” Competition
Tampa’s Westchase Elementary School recently won second place in a national contest honoring students and schools for their commitment to the environment. Given the competition, landing top honors was no small feat given the competition—more than 3,000 schools submitted entries in the “Go Green and Small with all™” contest and Westchase was the only finalist in Florida. The school earned top marks in several categories, including its focus on school supplies. Students use online textbooks rather than hard copies and refill and reuse glue bottles. The school also has instituted recycling programs for ink cartridges, paper and cell phones. The contest was sponsored by the makers of all® concentrated laundry detergent. To learn more, visit gogreenwithall.com.

“Guardians of the Bay” Contest Winners Announced

An Eagle Scout, a Girl Scout troop, and three school classes were honored as winners of Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s first “Guardians of the Bay” contest.

The contest was created to recognize kids 8-14 years old who implement a project in their own homes, schools, neighborhoods or communities that helps to improve Tampa Bay. Deadline for entering the 2008 competition is April 18 (for more information, contact nanette@tbep.org). This year’s winners are:

• Daniel Mineo, who created an Eagle Scout project that built owl boxes,
  planted trees and installed plant identification signs at Marshall Street Park in Safety Harbor.
• Girl Scout Troop 1166, Palm Harbor, who designed and planted a butterfly garden at John Chesnut Park.
• Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, where students created a “Wicked Weed of theWeek” competition to eradicate invasive plants on the school’s extensive property.
• Judy Alvarez’s fifth-grade Earth Force class at Lutz Elementary School who were the impetus for a dog park in the Lutz community, using the park as a vehicle to teach area residents about the harmful impacts of pet waste on area waterways.
• Judy Der and Chiquittea Lumpkins’ fifth-grade Earth Force class at Robinson Elementary in Plant City who grew native plants in a school nursery, and raised money for transportation to Crystal Springs Preserve where the students planted their plants in a natural setting. They also designed and produced a coloring book about Florida plants and wildlife, and used the coloring book to teach younger kids at their school about the value of native habitats.